The present invention relates to a test input information search device and method.
In program development of a large-sized computer system having a screen and a database, a test is required for confirming, through developer's screen operation, that the computer system satisfies a request of a person using the computer system. Upon test execution, the developer who executes the test inputs values such as character strings and numerical values in entry fields on the screen and clicks, for example, buttons and links on the screen to operate the computer system.
Upon the inputting of the character strings and the numerical values, inputting in accordance with an object of the test is performed and it is checked whether or not the computer system operates as expected. For example, in such a computer system in which a character string is inputted and a list of addresses including the aforementioned character string is displayed, to test whether or not over a given number of addresses can be displayed on the screen, the developer is required to input the character string included in the given number of addresses. Alternatively, to conform whether or not an error message is displayed when there is no corresponding address, the developer is required to input a character string not included in any of the addresses.
To makes it possible to manage and reproduce information upon the test, the developer is required to clearly write input values used for the test in a test scenario serving as a document which expresses a flow of the test. Further, the developer is also required to store information, which is to be confirmed and which is in accordance with the object, in the database used upon the test. In the example described above, the given number of addresses having the same character string are present in the database, and only addresses of another specific character string should not be present. That is, the developer is required to achieve consistency between the screen input values and the database.
On the one hand it takes great man-hour for the developer to crease, for the test, database records to be used in the test from the beginning. Thus, the developer acquires database records used in the computer system practically on operation, and masks customer information for use or continuously uses database records, which have been used since early times, through repeated modification thereof.
On the other hand the developer who creates a scenario of a test for screen operation is familiar with screen specifications and requirements of operations to be satisfied by the screen but is not necessarily familiar with the database. In a case where the database records are not created from the beginning, it is required to understand and investigate a design of the existing database and the records of the existing database, which is time-consuming. Thus, a mechanism is required which is provided for permitting even a developer who is not familiar with the database to create test inputs which are consistent with values of the database.
In association with such a test, Japanese Patent No. 5523526 discloses a technology of generating a test case from design information expressing a logic of a source code and creating a database record based on a restriction formula generated from the test case. More specifically, a technology has been disclosed which generates a test case from design information expressing a logic of a code and creates a database record based on a restriction formula generated from the test case.